Skinny Love
by books-are-my-reality
Summary: Takes place after Jason's "You're unavailable." Aria thinks she loves Ezra, at least, Spencer keeps telling her that. But what happens when she starts to become attracted to Jason again? Will she stay with Ezra or move on? JasonxAria fanfic. Bad summary.
1. Confusion

**Definition of Skinny Love: When two people love each other but are too shy to admit it but they still show it.**

**In my opinion, Jason and Aria is the most quality couple on PLL. I freakin' love them and I hate that they weren't ever really given a chance. Stupid Ezra =P Anyway, this is my first upload and I have no clue what I'm doing so cut me some slack. **

"Hey, Aria."

I looked up from my locker to see Spencer standing next to me, a bright smile on her face. I smiled back, pleasantly surprised by her sudden energy. It was always refreshing to see anyone genuinely smile these days. Well, at least Spencer, Hannah, and Emily. We had been through hell this past year and it was pretty overwhelming. What am I kidding? It was too overwhelming; to the point that I thought I would suffocate from the stress invading my life.

"Hey, Spence. What's up?"

Spencer sighed happily, leaning against the adjacent locker.

"Nothing."

I raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to elaborate?"

Spencer's smile grew wider and she waggled her phone in front of my face.

"Nothing is happening, Aria." She said cheerfully. "For once, there are no texts from A. She hasn't harassed us in weeks. Finally, I feel like I'm able just to relax, to...," she waved her hands around, trying to find the right words, "be able to live a normal life and worry about normal things like making sure I turn in my ten paged _Scarlet Letter _essay in on time to your mom," she flashed me a look, "or about what I should wear on my date with Toby tonight. It just feels so freeing and _normal_ to be able to not have to worry about what sadistic game A will play with us next."

I let out a deep breath and nodded in agreement, smiling ruefully. "It is nice, isn't it? Maybe A is gone for good?" I suggested hopefully.

Spencer flashed me a practical look. "I wouldn't get your hopes up. A is too unpredictable to even guess what her next move will be."

There was a somber silence before I elbowed Spencer playfully in the ribs, trying to lighten the mood. "Looks like things are going well with Toby, then?"

Spencer nodded, closing her eyes as if remembering a private memory. "We've been spending a lot more time together now that there isn't any drama or any danger of A trying to break us up. We can just have fun talking to each other, and kissing…" she trailed off, her pale cheeks flushing with color.

I was happy for Spencer. She deserved happiness after dealing with Melissa and Ian, and everything else. At least, I told myself that. I was trying to ignore the bitter feeling in my chest. I may have forgiven Spencer, but that didn't mean I was completely over her budging into my business.

Spencer peaked her eyes open to look at me before closing them again. "Of course, I don't have to worry about your love life anymore. You are finally free of that psychotic stalker and can now focus all of your attention on Ezra."

My stomach dropped out and a sour taste welled up in my mouth. I swallowed loudly and looked away, thankful that Spencer couldn't see me reaction.

She was talking about Jason. Even thinking the name made my heart hurt. I could still plainly see those beautiful emerald green eyes staring dejectedly after me as I left his house with Ezra.

"You're unavailable," he had said. The way he said it made me squeeze my eyes shut every time I thought about it, trying to expel the guilt I was feeling. I didn't think I liked Jason, or, at least not as much as Ezra. I had just been confused and vulnerable after how Ezra was treating me, hiding me away from the public eye, and Jason just happened to be there as a shoulder to lean on. That was over now. Now, Ezra was being nothing but sweet and loving. Now, I was sure of my feelings and knew that kissing Jason was a huge mistake. Kissing those beautifully, soft, warm, inviting lips…

I shook my head, pushing the thought out of my mind. No. I was completely over him. Ezra was who I wanted to be with, _needed _to be with…right?

"Aria. Aria. Earth to Aria."

Spencer was waving her hand in front of my face, looking concerned. I focused on her and smiled blandly. "Oh, sorry. I was…just thinking about something."

Spencer looked at me expectantly. "And that something might be…"

I racked my brain for a quick, reasonable response. "How…," _come on Aria, think of something, _"Ezra and I are going to a movie Friday," I offered.

The latter was true. Ezra was taking me out to see a movie Friday. So, really, it was only a half lie.

Spencer looked relieved. "Thank God. For a second, I thought that dreamy look on your face had something to do with Jason."

I pushed Spencer playfully. "Of course not! I am completely over him." _I think. No, I _am_._

Spencer pushed off from the locker and hiked up her black shoulder bag. "Just making sure."

She looked at her watch and started to hurry away, vaguely waving a hand in my direction. "I have AP Calculus in five. I can't be late. Talk to you later."

I gave a little wave and sagged against my locker door. Grrr, I just wish Jason would stop popping into my head. There was no reason for him to be there. And really, he hadn't been on my mind for a while actually.

My thoughts had mostly been preoccupied by Mike's dark presence in the house. He was completely out of hand, and I was afraid he was going to do something completely reckless, even more reckless than stealing from people's garages. He wouldn't talk to either of our parents, and I could tell from the wary look in their eye that they were being stretched thin. Mike was draining the energy out of them. I wanted to help but I didn't know how. It seemed that Mike was unreachable.

I glumly started walking in the direction of the Biology room when something caught my eye. Speaking of the devil…Mike was outside, sitting on one of the cafeteria benches talking to someone.

I stopped walking, keeping a good distance away. I examined the scene further and my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I realized who Mike was talking to. Jason Dilaurentis. _What the…_

From the serious and stern expression on Jason's face, I was guessing Jason and Mike were not just "hanging out." It seemed more like he was giving Mike a lecture. I quickly scurried to the pillar to the right, trying to get a better view.

Mike had his eyes cast downwards, fiddling with his faded band tee, looking…ashamed? He would nod every few seconds, keeping his eyes averted from Jason's penetrating ones.

I was completely caught off guard. It escaped my mind why Mike would be sitting, listening to any sort of lecture (if that is what it was), and not storming off moodily. _And_, he was actually looking sorry for his actions. That was first.

At that moment, Jason seemed to notice the time and paused before speaking again. Mike finally looked up at Jason and gave him a half-smile before they both stood up. Jason clapped a hand on Mike's shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile and said something else. Oh God, that smile…

Finally, Mike laughed, shook his head, and walked away, in the opposite direction from where I was standing. My eyebrows rose. Did Mike just laugh? I think so. The boy who was overly moody, aggressive, and downright depressing had actually laughed. Now I _really_ wanted to know what they were talking about.

I told myself that I would confront Mike at home and demand to know what he possibly could have been talking about with Jason.

Then, all of a sudden, as if he heard his name in my thoughts, Jason's green eyes flickered in my direction and our gazes locked. My heart skipped a beat and I stood stock still, my breath catching.

Jason's eyes widened as he saw me, and an expression flickered across his face, too fast for me to understand. Was it desire? Even from this distance, I felt like I could drown in those bottomless eyes of his. I unconsciously leaned forward and my mouth opened slightly.

And, it seemed, as soon as our moment started, it ended. Hurt flashed across Jason's features and in the next moment, he was expressionless. I blinked and let out the breath I was holding. I smiled quickly, though it was more of an embarrassed smile than anything, and turned away from him, walking as fast as I could without running down the hall.

**Please review! Tell me what you would like to see. Did it suck? Was it awesome? I will update as soon as I can =)**


	2. Frustration

**Okay, so I'm writing this at midnight right now so it's not going to be at its best. Sorry in advance for the horrible writing. There's a bit more talk about Jason in this. I'm just trying to build up the story first before getting to the good stuff ;) Enjoy!**

"Ms. Montgomery."

My eyes flew open and my head snapped up from my desk. "Huh?"

My biology teacher, Mrs. Gunther, glared at me accusingly. I shrunk back in my seat, trying to look invisible. It was too late now. All eyes were on me. God, I hated attention. I had enough of it to last me a lifetime because of A.

"Can you please explain to the class the difference between Mitosis and Meiosis?"

I opened my mouth as if to answer but nothing came out. I hadn't been paying attention and Mrs. Gunther knew it. From the smug look in her eye, I could tell she was enjoying every second of my humiliation. I was going to have to wing it.

"Um…well…you see Mrs. Gunther…Mitosis…" I fiddled with my chewed pencil. "Mitosis is…is…"

"Mitosis refers to the division of cells, so it goes from haploid to diploid, which means it increases. Meiosis, on the other hand, refers to the division of gametes so it goes from diploid to haploid, decreasing instead of increasing like in Mitosis."

That was definitely _not_ my voice. I turned to see who had saved me from answering. _Oh my…_ Jason. He was standing at the entrance to the room, leaning against the doorframe. My cheeks flamed and my mouth open and closed unattractively. Jason's green eyes held mine, and I found I could not look away.

"Of course, my answer isn't as scientific as it could have been. I never really paid attention in class, right Mrs. Gunther?" His eyes never left my face.

"Hmph!" I heard Mrs. Gunther grunt. "Jason Dilaurentis. Why have you graced us with your presence today?" She didn't even bother to hide the annoyance and sarcasm in her voice.

Jason broke eye contact with me to look at Mrs. Gunther and I ducked my face from his, pretending to take an interest in my notes. I started to mindlessly doodle; anything to keep me from having to look into those eyes and feel the guilt I felt every time I thought of him.

"I was wondering if I could use Trevor for a moment. It will only take a minute."

Mrs. Gunther waved her hand vaguely at Jason. "Go on. But make it quick. I do not want him to miss any important material."

"Of course." Jason replied. Trevor got up from his seat behind me and left with Jason. I exhaled a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding in.

Mrs. Gunther gave me a dry look and pursed her lips. "Weren't you lucky?"

I collapsed on my bed as soon as I got home. Ugh, what an exhausting day. I buried my face in my purple pillow and tried to sleep. It was a failed attempt though. Not two minutes later did my cell phone ring. I dragged my head up from my pillow and fumbled for my phone on the bedside table. I grabbed it and looked at caller ID to see who was calling. _Ezra_, it read.

I smiled and flipped open the phone. "Hey."

"Hey," Ezra's beautiful voice replied. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my apartment for a few minutes. I can make you some coffee with my quality coffee maker."

My smile turned into a full on grin and I rolled over onto my back and looked up at the ceiling. "Couldn't wait till Friday, huh?"

Ezra laughed and my heart beat wildly. "I couldn't help myself. I just have to see that beautiful face of yours since I can't see it in English class anymore."

My insides tingled and I refrained myself from giggling. God, I acted like such a twelve year old around him.

"Only for a few." I told him. "I have to be back to ask Mike something before he disappears into his room forever."

"Awesome." Ezra replied. "See you soon."

"See you soon, Jason." I answered and practically choked on my words. I had subconsciously been thinking of those damn emerald eyes again.

"What did you say?" Ezra's voice hardened.

"What? Okay, bye Ezra!" I said quickly into the phone and hung up.

I smacked the heel of my hand into my forehead. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I knocked on the door to Ezra's apartment and a few seconds later, it opened up and Ezra peeked his head out. He looked stiff and distraught. "Oh, hi Aria. You came to pick up the book, right? I'll go get it."

My brows furrowed together and I gave him a quizzical look. Ezra flashed me a panicked expression before ducking back inside.

"Who's there?" I heard a female voice call. I went rigid. _Jackie_. I felt like a bucket of ice water and been dumped on my head. That _bitch…_

"It's Aria Montgomery." I heard Ezra answer. "You met her, remember? She was my student." I could hear the nervousness in his tone.

There were footsteps approaching and the door opened wide and Jackie smiled at me.

"Oh yeah. Aria. Hi, how are you?" She said the statement brightly, but I could tell she hated me just as much as I hated her.

I plastered a false smile on my face and restrained myself from gauging her stupid brown eyes out.

"Hi Jackie. I'm good, and how are you?" _Not that I care. What I want to know is why the hell you are in Ezra's apartment._

"I'm great." Jackie gushed. "I was just stopping by for an impromptu visit with Ezra." _Yeah, an impromptu mission to steal my man._

I shuffled my feet awkwardly. "That's cool."

Thankfully, Ezra came back then with a book I had vaguely seen once on his desk. I didn't bother to look at the title.

"Thanks." I said and put the book into my purse.

To my horror, Jackie slid her arm around Ezra's waist and leaned into him and looked at me with a challenge in her eyes. It irked me even more when Ezra didn't move away. He didn't look comfortable, but he didn't look too bothered by it either.

"I think it's great that you keep in touch with your former students, Ezra. Got to keep their _young_ minds fresh." Jackie put an emphasis on the word, "young." I was about ready to deck her.

"How's high school by the way? You're a junior, right?"

"A senior, actually." I said through my teeth.

Jackie sighed ruefully. "I remember when I was in high school. I was so young and misguided. I made so many immature decisions."

I narrowed my eyes while trying to keep a smile on my face. "Well, I've been told I'm pretty mature for my age."

Ezra cleared his throat and moved away from Jackie. He laughed nervously and ran a hand through his curly brown hair. "It was really nice that you stopped by to pick up the book. You'll have to tell me your opinion on the book when you've finished."

I smiled sweetly at him though I was shooting daggers with my eyes. I had expected him to defend me, at least. If he was going to pretend we weren't in a relationship, it was the least he could have done.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and put on a brave face.

"No problem, Ez—Mr. Fitz. I'll see you later. Bye, Jackie. It was nice seeing you again." Not.

Before I could burst into tears, I turned my back on them and stalked down the hallway, keeping my head held high.

God, that was awful. I sat down on my bed and put my head in my hands. I couldn't believe how humiliating that was. Jackie had trampled all over me and Ezra had done nothing to defend me. And he let her put her filthy little arm around him.

It made me sick to think that yet again, we had to hide our relationship. I thought the reason Ezra transferred to Hollis was so that we could make our relationship public. And yet, that didn't seem to be happening. How long would this go on? How long would I have to hide before Ezra would proudly show me off to all of his friends?

Tears prickled in the corner of my eyes and I rubbed my eyes before they could come down. I would not cry over him. I would not let Jackie have the satisfaction.

I took a couple deep breaths to calm myself and then went downstairs. I made myself a sandwich, prepared to go watch Grey's Anatomy on the DVR when the front door opened. I put my peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the counter and peeked into the foyer. Low and behold, Mike had arrived.

I looked at my watch, hardly believing my eyes. It was 4:48. I was expecting him to be home later, _a lot_ later. I walked into the foyer as Mike dropped his book bag off at the front door.

"You're home already." I noted, crossing my arms.

Mike barely spared me a glance as he walked past me into the kitchen. "Yep."

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "Why are you home so early?"

Mike shot me a glare and pulled a can of Pepsi out of the fridge. "Why are you so nosy?"

I ignored his jab. "I'm just surprised. You usually disappear randomly for hours before you come home. What changed?"

Mike didn't answer as he pushed past me out of the kitchen and climbed the stairs to his room. I followed on his heels, determined to get him to talk.

"What changed?" I asked again, blocking his way into his room.

"Why don't you mind your own damn business, Aria?" He snapped, pushing me out of the way. Before I could reply, he slammed the door in my face.

"Why do we bother even putting a fourth place setting on the table?" I asked as I set the table for dinner. "Mike isn't going to come down."

My mom didn't look up from tossing the Caesar salad. "Because one of these days, he is going to come down. And we want him to feel that he can join us when he is ready."

"Do you think he'll ever come out?" I asked her.

Mom pauses=d for a second before continuing to toss the salad. "He will. We just have to give him time."

"How much?" I muttered under my breath as I put the extra silverware back in its proper drawer.

After we were finished preparing dinner and the whole table was set, Mom called out, "Dinner is ready!"

A few seconds later, my dad walked in and kissed my mom on the cheek. "Just in time too. I'm starving."

My mom smiled warmly at him and I couldn't help but smile too. It was a relief to see them back together again after the catastrophe with Meredith.

We took our seats at the table and were about to start eating when we heard footsteps on the stairs. We all exchanged a startled glance as Mike came in the room and sat down in the empty chair across from me.

"Hey," he grumbled. He looked at mom. "Do you want me to dish out the food?"

Ella looked completely startled. She recovered quickly though. "Sure, sweetie. That would be great." She smiled at him, her eyes lighting up like a flashlight.

My dad took a little longer to recover. He was staring at Mike in awe. Mike ignored his gaze as he dished out our food.

"Thank you." I said, taking my heaping plate of food.

We ate in an awkward silence for a few minutes. Finally, Dad cleared his throat and said to Mike between bites, "So Mike, how was your day?"

"Boring as usual." He replied, keeping his eyes on his food.

"Did anything exciting happen?" Mom piped in.

Mike shrugged. "Not really."

I put my fork down on my plate and wiped my mouth with my napkin. "Well, Mike actually came home pretty early today."

Mom and Dad raised their eyebrows at me and glanced at Mike. "Really?" Byron said, curiosity thick in his voice. "What time?"

Mike glared at me. "Around five." He replied, taking a sip of his Pepsi.

Mom couldn't have looked happier. "Very nice." She commented, exchanging a pleased look with Dad across the table. "Why did you come home early?"

"Practice ended early."

Dad looked taken aback. "Practice? As in basketball practice?"

Mike nodded.

"Since when do you have basketball practice?" Dad challenged.

"Since I started it up again." Mike sounded annoyed. Ella shot Byron a warning look.

There were a few more minutes of silence before Mike spoke again, "Can I go hang out at a friend's house on Saturday?"

Things just got more surprising by the second. Since when did Mike ask for permission?

Dad was the one who recovered first this time. "Whose house?"

Mike mumbled something unintelligible.

Dad leaned forward, trying to hear him. "What did you say?"

"I said, Jason's house." Mike said louder.

Mom's eyebrows shot up and my mouth dropped open. "As in Jason Dilaurentis?" Mom asked.

Mike nodded. Mom looked astonished. "Well, sure, I guess."

Mom looked at me suddenly, as if remembering something. "Speaking of Jason Dilaurentis, I haven't seen him here for a while. How has he been?"

Oh, great. I couldn't believe we were talking about this. I looked down at the remaining food on my plate. "I don't know."

"You don't know? Aren't you two still hanging out?"

I shook my head. _Just please stop talking about him. _

"Why not? He seemed like a nice boy. Did something happen?"

_Spencer happened_, I thought bitterly. I mentally cursed myself. Spencer was doing the right thing. I shouldn't have been hanging out with Jason in the first place. She was right to have Ezra come after me.

"You're unavailable." His words echoed painfully in my head. _Don't think about it,_ I told myself. _What's done is done._

"We just lost touch." I shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

Ella frowned slightly. "Oh well, maybe you should-,"

"Why Jason?" Dad interrupted Mom, looking at Mike. He obviously hadn't been listening to the conversation. I was relieved though. Anything to get me from having to talk about what happened with Jason.

Mike didn't look at Dad. "We've just been hanging out recently."

"Define hanging out?" Mom shot dad another warning look.

Mike was starting to seriously look annoyed. "He's just been helping me, okay? Can we not talk about it?" Mike pushed away from the table, and stalked upstairs.

Dad looked at mom. "Helping? As in counseling?" He then shifted his gaze to me. "Jason _is_ counseling troubled kids at your school, right? Have you seen Mike talking to Jason?"

_Yes. _"Not that I've seen. I really wouldn't know. I don't really see Jason in school." I hated how my heart raced every time I said his name.

Mom frowned again. "Honey, maybe you should start hanging out with Jason again?" She suggested. "If he's the one who is helping Mike, then maybe it would be a good idea to not loose touch."

My eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

Ella sighed. "I'm just thinking how you haven't had a boyfriend in quite a while and it seems," she held up a hand, blocking my protests, "that maybe he could be a potential choice."

My cheeks flamed red and I stood up abruptly from the table. "Mom!" I cried. I wanted to say I already had a boyfriend but I stopped myself. My stomach dropped. I couldn't tell her about Ezra. Would I ever be able to?

Later that night, I was lying in bed when I realized something. How fair was it that the one guy I was with, my mom would not approve of and the one guy I was _not_ with, she did approve of? How ironic. Of course, Jason and Ezra were around the same age though Jason was a few years younger. The problem was that Ezra was my teacher and I knew my mom would kill Ezra and then probably me if she ever found out I had been in a relationship with him while he was still my teacher.

I shook my head. There was no need to torture myself over this. I wasn't going to be able to change my mom's opinion. _But do I want to?_ The thought startled me. Of _course_ I wanted my mom to accept Ezra. Jason wasn't my boyfriend, Ezra was. It didn't matter whether she approved of Jason. It was only important that she be happy for Ezra and I. I couldn't stand thinking about it. It was giving me a major headache. I decided just to relax and go to sleep. I would deal with the problem later.

I closed my eyes, ready to dream about my beautiful man with his adorable curly hair and a smile that lit up the world.

I did not get what I bargained for. Somehow, the boy with emerald eyes appeared in my dream instead.

**I was so excited to get reviews last time (though some were just Ezria fans being contrary). Don't forget to review again! Any recommendations on what you want to see or what should happen? I'm up for anything =)**


	3. Dream

__**Okay, so this is a dream sequence between Jason and Aria. I thought it would be a perfect scene after how amazing it was in PLL. So, I guess it kind of isn't my idea. I'm not exactly original =P But it will be a bit different from the scene in PLL. Anyway, I don't really like it. I don't know. It doesn't feel like Aria. Whatever. I hope you all enjoy it!**

_The first thing I noticed were the silk sheets against my bare skin. I sighed contentedly and rolled over in my bed, trying to savor the bliss I was feeling. I smiled slightly to myself and breathed in deeply, smelling a fragrance foreign to me. Hmmm. I wondered where that lovely scent came from? I didn't think of it further. My thoughts were sluggish and it took too much effort to think about anything other than how comfortable this bed felt. God, these silk sheets felt amazing…Bare skin…._

_My eyes flew open. _Bare skin! _I jolted up in bed and the covers fell off of me. I looked down at myself in panic. Naked. I was completely and utterly naked. I quickly covered myself again and looked around in alarm. The room seemed vaguely familiar though it was definitely _not_ my room. _It's a hotel room_, I realized with horror. It was the same hotel room I had stayed in with my family 9 years ago when we took a road trip to see my Aunt Lucy in Idaho. I only remembered the room because Mike had eaten too much chocolate on the way and started throwing up all over the room. _How did I get here?

_That's when I heard the shower running. The water made such a constant pattering on the tub in the bathroom that my ears had not detected the sound sooner. _Why is the shower running?_ Yet another question I could not answer. My heart started to pound loudly in my ears as I closed my eyes, trying to remember anything that could give me a clue of what happened last night. But I just kept drawing a blank. There was nothing to give even the slightest hint of how I ended up in a hotel room, naked. _

_Irrationally I thought, _maybe I should turn off the water. I don't want to be wasteful or anything. _I didn't have to. The water cut off abruptly and my eyes widened as I looked towards the closed bathroom door. Oh my God. Someone was in there. _

_I wanted more than anything to get up and run from the room, but I couldn't seem to find my clothes anywhere. I didn't dare get up to look under the bed in case whoever was in the shower came out. _

_I ran my shaky hands through my hair over and over, having no clue what to do. So, I sat there frozen, staring at the door, praying for it to never open. I could only imagine who was on the other side. Was it Ezra? I shook the thought vehemently from my head, my cheeks reddening. We hadn't reached that stage yet and we definitely wouldn't have gone to a hotel to do…do whatever had happened last night. _Then who is it?

_I didn't have to wait long. About a minute later, the door opened and the mystery person stepped out of the steaming bathroom. _Oh my…_I let out a strangled gasp._

"_Jason?" There he was, standing there, in nothing but a towel riding dangerously low on his wet hips. _He's probably wearing nothing under it. _My stomach churned. _

_Jason flashed me a million dollar smile and pushed his wet hair out of his face. "Hey." He greeted, his voice husky._

_My cheeks burned and I dove back under the covers and put a pillow over my head. Cologne. That was what that "lovely scent" had been. _

"_Uh, Jason? Could you, uh, maybe, uh, put some clothes on?" I asked mortified. My voice came out muffled from the pillow. I heard Jason laugh and a few seconds later I felt a weight next to me on the bed. _

"_Now, how would it be fair if I had to put my clothes on when you aren't wearing any yourself?" Jason's voice whispered, startlingly close to ear. _

_I jerked away from his voice in surprise and pressed the pillow harder over my head. _

"_Um, yeah, sorry about that. Don't really know how that happened." I laughed nervously and squeezed my eyes shut. So. Freakin'. Embarrassing._

"_I can't really…" I couldn't concentrate. My mind kept picturing explicit images of the boy next to me and I tried to suppress them. "…Uh, _think_ with you…uh…you know."_

_The weight on the bed increased and I rolled into something hard. Oh my God. I was lying in bed next to a practically naked guy, while being naked myself. It was practically sex in my mind. _

"_Am I," Jason whispered, his voice like silk, trailing his finger lightly on the back of my neck, "distracting you?" _

_Goosebumps of pleasure ran up and down my body from his touch and I shivered. I hoped he didn't noticed. _

"_Yes. Very much so." I tried to keep my voice steady and even but it came out embarrassingly high pitched and breathy. I cleared my throat unceremoniously. _

_Jason chuckled and I felt the vibration from his body next to mine. All I could think of was how the only thing separating us was these very thin silk sheets and his towel. My whole face was hot by now. Heck, my whole body felt hot. I was burning up under these covers. _

_Jason's finger started to lazily make its way down the bottom of my neck and onto my bare back. I felt electricity run a path down my back where his finger made contact. I couldn't hide the shivers now. I didn't even bother. I was too busy trying to keep myself from moaning his name out loud. Now _that _would be humiliating. I started to get a funny feeling in unusual places and I fidgeted, unnerved. _

_A small part of my mind told me I shouldn't be feeling this way. I had Ezra. He was my boyfriend and I was perfectly happy with him. The larger part of my brain said, "If you love Ezra so much, then why do feel such pleasure from a simple touch from Jason?" I didn't have an answer. _

_Ezra was quickly pushed from my mind when Jason's finger made it to the small of my back. I squeaked unattractively and jumped slightly. _

"_Jason, I have a b-b-boyfriend. Ezra." His name felt foreign on my lips. Jason's flowed much easier. _

_Jason laughed again, his finger stopping dangerously low near a certain area. "Ezra? Really? I wouldn't have known." His tone was light, playful. "He certainly never shows it."_

_That hit a sore spot. "Well, uh, we have to keep our, um, r-relationship a secret for now."_

_Jason sighed and his cool breath blew over me, sending another set of shivers racking my body. _

"_A secret?" Disapproval was plain in his voice. I could imagine him shaking his head. "Aria." His tone turned serious. "If I had you, I wouldn't hide you shamefully away from the world. I would show you proudly to everyone because I couldn't be happier to be with stunning girl I love."_

_My heart squeezed at his words. Had he really called me stunning? Had he really said he loved me? Did he really say he would proudly show me off to his friends, something that Ezra never had the courage to do? There was a strange burning sensation in my throat and I felt tears starting to form. I blinked them away and swallowed loudly. A swell of emotion overcame me, and I suddenly couldn't have felt happier to be lying next to Jason Dilaurentis. _

"_Thank you," I whispered._

_Jason's strong, muscular arms slowly and gently slid around my waist and pulled me tightly against his chest. At that moment, I wished the sheets weren't blocking his arms from touching me. I wanted him to touch me. I yearned to feel wanted, loved. And I wanted Jason to be the one to do it._

"_I'll say it a thousand times more." Jason murmured, pressing his lips softly against the side of my neck. _

_I wanted nothing more than to feel those lips against mine, to kiss those unbelievably delicious lips again. _

_I finally took the pillow off of my head and squirmed in his arms, trying to twist around so I could see that beautiful face. His arms released me for a moment and I turned around and looked up into his dazzling forest green eyes. My heart thudded painfully as I saw the love and sincerity in his expression._

_His lips turned up at the corners, forming into a heart-breaking smile, showing his pearly white teeth. "There's the beautiful face I wanted to see."_

_I was no longer embarrassed to be laying next him. I was way past that point. _

"_Hi," I said shyly, returning his smile. Jason's hand came up and brushed the hair out of my face, lingering a bit on my cheek._

"_Hi." He replied. I thought I would fall into those emerald eyes and never resurface. _

_My breath caught as Jason started to bring his face down towards mine. I slowly shut my eyes and brought my head up to meet his…._

My eyes opened and I was staring up at the familiar lime green ceiling of my room. I was silent for a moment, just thinking about my moment with Jason. It had been so perfect, so utterly perfect.

I felt a small smile curls my lips and I let out a deep breath.

_Wow,_ I thought.

But it had only been a dream.

**Sorry you had to endure the painful experience of my horrible writing. Grr, I really didn't like how I ended up writing this. Anyway, please, please, please, review. I appreciate it greatly when you guys do! You inspire me to write more. I'll update soon =)**


	4. Surprise

**Okay, so it's 1 in the morning and I'm dead tired, so if I spelled things wrong or anything like that, ignore it. Sorry I didn't update earlier. I was kind of having writers block. Well, PLL is tomorrow and I'm hoping with all my heart that Jason and Aria are not completely over! Let's hope! Anyway, hope you like this chapter. Enjoy!**

The next morning, my nerves were wired as I got into the shower. I couldn't shake the dream I had the previous night. It was completely unsettling. I had thought this Jason phase was over. I had moved on from whatever strange relationship that had occurred between us. I had forced myself to stop thinking about the boy with emerald eyes and had focused on the larger picture: Mike and A, though A hadn't bothered us in quite a while.

My relationship with Ezra had improved and we were happier than ever. Well, at least until the incident with Jackie yesterday. My stomach formed a knot as I replayed the scene over in my head. I couldn't believe how Ezra acted in spite of everything. He knew I hated Jackie and he knew hanging out with her would set me on edge. So acting all cozy with her was definitely not the most considerate thing he could have done.

He _also_ knew that our age difference and student/teacher relationship was a sore subject. How could just let Jackie pick at that vulnerable chink of armor? How could he let her take jabs at me when he knew it would hit home?

A sudden whiplash of anger struck me and I turned the shower to its hottest temperature, so that it would scald my skin, and keep me from think about that ungrateful little jackass. We were going to have to talk, and soon. We could not keep taking one step forward and two steps back. It was frustrating to think that we seemed to be in an endless loop of finally making progress and then having Ezra do something to send us back to square one.

When I had woken that morning, I found five texts from Ezra, asking if we could meet at his apartment after school today, so we could talk about what had happened. I was too furious with him to give him an answer. Let him wonder. It would do him good.

My mind wandered back to Jason yet again and I let out a groan. I could _not_ start having dreams about him again. I refused to have to go through what happened before. I did not need more confusion in my life and I definitely did not need Spencer on my back again. No matter how sweet and caring and downright irresistible Jason had been last night, I would not fall for him. I had Ezra and even though he definitely had his flaws (the most aggravating flaws ever might I add), I still loved him. I needed to keep as far away from Jason and his green eyes as I possibly could. If I could manage that, than everything would be okay. Or, at least I told myself that.

After I finished getting ready for school, I headed downstairs for breakfast. My mom was at the stove, preoccupying herself with making scrambled eggs.

I breathed in the delicious aroma of cheesy eggs and grinned as I retrieved a glass from the cabinet. "Not that I don't love the smell of eggs in the morning but since when do you cook?"

My mom jutted her chin defiantly as she pushed the eggs around and added some seasoning to the mixture. "I can cook!" she countered. "I just haven't been in the mood lately."

I quirked an eyebrow. "What put you in a mood to cook?"

Ella flashed me an excited smile and her eyes lit up. "Mike. It's practically a miracle that anyone could have gotten through to him. I know he's not completely back to his normal behavior, but it's a start."

My happiness wavered and I headed over to the refrigerator, hoping she couldn't see my reaction. "That's true, I guess." I was praying she would not bring Jason into the conversation.

Mom looked at me in confusion. "You guess? Don't you think Mike has improved?"

I shrugged nonchalantly as I poured myself a glass of milk. "Sure. But I mean, he was bound to get better eventually with or without help."

My mom knew something was off. She turned in my direction, cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at me. "Is there something wrong?"

I widened my eyes in mock innocence. "What? No, of course not. I'm just as happy as you are that Mike is okay."

Mom pursed her lips and it was evident she didn't believe a word out of my mouth. "Mm-hm." She paused before continuing. "Are you sure something's not up? Nothing is bothering you?"

I smiled reassuringly at her. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Ella finished the eggs, dished some out on two plates and come over to the table. I looked up at her as she placed a plate in front of me. "Where's dad?"

Ella sat across down across from me with a plate of her own. "He left early for work."

It was silent for a few moments before Ella spoke again. "Aria, would you mind doing me a favor today?"

I smiled. "Sure. What do you need?"

"Well, I'm booked today with classes and meetings so I have no time on my hands to thank Jason Dilaurentis for his help with Mike." Uh-oh. "I was wondering if, in your free time, you could thank him for all that he has done?"

Of course. This would be my luck. I plastered a fake smile on my face. "Sure."

I didn't even bother trying to pay attention in my morning classes. It would have been a wasted effort to try. My mind was completely focused on Jason. I couldn't help it. I was nervous to have to talk with him. We hadn't talked since the time when Ezra had picked me up at his house. I didn't even have a clue of how I was supposed to start our conversation. It was bound to be awkward, _more_ than awkward. It was going to be unbearable. I couldn't even imagine how I was supposed to look at Jason neutrally after my dream last night. How was I _not_ supposed to picture him naked?

When the bell finally rang, signaling lunch, I packed my bag as slowly as I could, prolonging my inevitable meeting with Jason.

"Should I be worried that you aren't in a hurry to leave history class?" Hanna asked, looking at me suspiciously.

I shook my head. "Sorry, I'm just tired. I didn't sleep well last night."

Hanna nodded in understanding. "Tell me about it. I keep waking up, expecting a new text from A. It's so strange to not be getting harassed for once."

I was only half paying attention. "The strangest." I murmured, as I unfortunately finished putting the last book in my bag.

Hanna droned on and on as we walked to my locker and I kept trying to listen, but to no avail. The meeting seemed more and more inexorable the closer we got to my locker. When I finally dropped off all of my stuff, I sighed in submission. "I have to go do something Hanna. I'll meet you at lunch."

Hanna stopped applying her new coat of lip-gloss. "What do you have to do?"

I waved a hand vaguely in the air. "Eh, nothing important. Just have to speak with a teacher."

Hanna shrugged. "Okay. Whatever. See you at lunch."

"Bye." I called as she walked away, her high heels clicking loudly on the linoleum floor.

I leaned back against my locker and closed my eyes, trying to take deep, calming breaths. I knew I shouldn't have been so worked up. It was just Jason and if I really didn't have any feelings for him, then having a conversation with him shouldn't have been a problem. _So don't get so worked up_, I told myself, _because you do not like Jason Dilaurentis. Not in that way._

"Are you okay, Aria?" A voice asked, close by. I jumped and let out a little yelp of surprise.

My eyes flew open to identify the voice and my heart rate quickened at who I saw. Of course it was Jason. Because that was my luck.

He looked apologetically at me and held up his hands. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

I hoped he didn't notice the flush in my cheeks as I imagined not-so-PG images of him. "No. It's my fault. I should have heard you coming." I replied, trying not to appear flustered.

I couldn't help but take a few moments to assess him. He had on a ridiculously attractive light blue polo rolled up to his elbows with a pair of slim fitting khakis. His hair look tousled, as if he had just been outside, and his eyes looked extra green today. I swear he had to be wearing contacts because it just couldn't be possible to have eyes such a rich shade of green. It was unfair.

"Anyway," Jason said, interrupting my reverie, "I just wanted to make sure you are okay. You seemed stressed." He was watching me intently, and I had to resist myself from squirming under his gaze.

I laughed a little breathlessly and mentally scolded myself. "It's nothing too big. I was just thinking how I forgot to complete my English assignment."

Jason's expression turned into one of amusement. "So, mothers don't go easy on their daughters?"

Oh God, I should have picked a different class. I needed to cover up, quick. "You would think so, but they actually go harder on their daughters. Believe it or not, my mom threatened to give me a detention once."

Jason's mouth quirked up to one side, showing off a lop-sided grin. I couldn't help but smile back. "That's rough." He commented. "Did she give you a detention in the end?"

"Thankfully, she let me off with a warning, but I have no doubt in my mind that she would have given me one." My words were starting to flow more easily and I found myself relaxing.

Jason looked skeptical. "Really? But she doesn't seem like the type of person to hand out detentions."

I scoffed. "Ha. You haven't seen her in action. She can get pretty bad-ass when she wants to."

That lop-sided grin turned into a full one and my heart warmed. "I would love to see that."

I shook my head vigorously. "Trust me, you wouldn't. She's a whole new person when she gets angry."

Jason's smile faltered slightly and I wondered if I said something wrong. "I know what you mean." He agreed in a subdued tone. "Imagine coming home every night to a pissed off mom. It's not a pretty sight."

The mood turned somber and we both fell silent. My mind flashed to Ian's funeral. Jason had said, "I guess that's why my parents can't even look at me anymore, they know they lost the wrong kid." A sick feeling twisted my stomach. I hoped he still didn't feel that way.

Before I knew what I was doing, I reached out a hesitant hand and put it on his shoulder. He looked at it in surprise but didn't move it away. "Jason, remember what you said to me at Ian's funeral?"

Jason's gaze slid from my hand on his shoulder to my eyes. He looked cautious. "I said a lot of things at his funeral."

I bit my lip and took my hand off of his shoulder. It hung loosely at my side. I was starting to think I shouldn't have mentioned the funeral. We weren't close anymore and having this conversation felt intimate. But I couldn't stop now, and a tiny part of me didn't want to stop.

"You told me that your parents 'knew' they lost the wrong kid."

There was a flash of pain in Jason's eyes that I would have missed if I blinked.

"Yeah, I did."

I shuffled my feet nervously. "You don't still think that, do you?"

I met his gaze, trying to read his expression, but his eyes flitted away from mine. "Why does it matter whether I think it or not?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, determined now to get an answer out of him. "Because Jason," my heart fluttered at saying his name, "you can't think that way. You can't live your life thinking that your parents wish you were dead instead of Allie. That just isn't right. And it isn't fair to you."

Jason looked at me again and his expression was angry. "I still don't understand why you care? Why would you care what I think? Why do you even act interested in anything that involves me?"

I was taken aback. Why wouldn't I? I voiced my thoughts. "Why wouldn't I?"

Jason scoffed. "Are you kidding me, Aria?"

I didn't know how to respond, so I didn't at all.

When Jason saw I wasn't kidding, he laughed without humor. "Well, I thought that after you left with…with _Ezra Fitz_, that you didn't give a rat's ass about me."

This was definitely _not_ where I wanted the conversation to go. But it was already too late now. I needed to give him an answer. I ran my hands through my hair. "It's not that I didn't care about you…" I started, trying to figure out where I was going to go with this. He asked a question I didn't know how to answer. I had never really thought about it before. "I guess, I just thought that I just couldn't hang out with you anymore, so I just stopped talking to you. Both Ezra and Spencer thought-,"

"Who cares what Ezra and Spencer think?" Jason exploded, waving his hands around in the air. "It's what _you_ think that matters. It was your opinion that mattered when you left that day. It's-,"

"Is everything okay here?" A voice sliced through the conversation and Jason abruptly stopped his tirade. We both whipped our heads around to see who had interrupted us.

It was my mom. And she was looking quite alarmed as her eyes went back and forth between both of us. "Am I interrupting something?"

Jason and I exchanged a glance and I tried to compose myself. "Um, not at all. We were just getting into a debate about…" I wracked my brain for something, "whether or not abortion is moral or immoral." Wow. What an excuse.

My mom obviously didn't buy it. She nodded her head slowly, walking a few steps towards us, scanning our faces. I tried to keep my expression perfectly blank, and I hoped Jason was too.

"And why were you two talking about abortion?"

Jason answered for me. "Aria was just talking about her history class and how _they_ were talking about it in history and we kind of just got carried away."

Ella still didn't buy it but she let it go. She put a big smile on her face and she turned towards Jason. "So, Jason. Did Aria thank you yet?" Nope. Not even close.

Jason looked at me sideways. "No. She didn't."

Mom shot me a quick, scolding glance before turning her attention back to Jason. "Oh, well, she was supposed to thank you for helping Mike in his time of need." Her smile was genuine and warm.

"Oh." Jason said in surprise. "There's really no need."

My mom swatted his arm. "Of course there is a need. It is greatly appreciated for what you have done. We thought he was beyond help and then, here you are, giving your help, even when you aren't asked. I think that's pretty spectacular."

Jason scratched the back of his head, looking almost, but not quite, sheepish. "Well, thank you, Mrs. Montgomery-,"

"Call me Ella," Mom interjected.

"Ella." Jason corrected himself. "It really was not a problem. He's actually a lot nicer than me when I was his age."

Mom laughed. "I highly doubt that Jason."

"It's true though." Jason insisted. "I wasn't exactly a role-model child." Of course, my mom knew this because of when Allie and I were friends. I guess she just thought people could change. And maybe they could.

"Well, the past is the past." Mom commented. "But, what I am trying to get to is whether or not you would like to come over for dinner at our house on Friday?"

I shot my mom a surprised look. She never told me about this.

Jason was watching me and saw my reaction. "Thank you for the invitation but I think I'm going to have to pass."

"Nonsense." My mom said. "I would love for you to come and I'm sure Aria and Mike would too. Won't you please try to make it? It's the least we could do to express our gratitude towards you."

Jason was silent a moment before looking at me. His green eyes never left mine as he said, "Sure, I'll come."

**Okay, so that argument was not supposed to happen until the later chapters but it just came up. So, I cut it short so I can continue it later. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will update as soon as I can. Please review with any suggestions, compliments, instructive criticism, etc. **


	5. Rebel

**Sorry for updating so late! I just keep having writers block =/ What did everyone think of that episode of PLL on Monday? I'm extremely disappointed our boy wasn't in it. I was looking forward to it because of him. I hate how they're making Aria talk so causally about Jason as if nothing happened =( Well, supposedly their relationship is on "hold" so maybe it'll be back! Anyway, since I haven't updated in a while, I made this chapter a little longer than the others. Hope you all enjoy! =)**

I walked quickly down the hallway, trying to put as much distance as possible between me, Jason, and my mom. _What the hell was that?_ How had something so simple turned into something so complicated? I couldn't get over what Jason had said. I hadn't realized he was so angry with me for leaving that day. I hadn't realized he was so upset. I hadn't realized…anything.

Guilt wormed its way into my stomach and I forced myself to walk faster. Oh God, what had I done? I didn't mean to hurt him. I was just…trying to stay alive, to be safe. Jason was supposed to be the bad guy. He couldn't be trusted and that was why I had put distance between us. He could have been manipulating me with his kind and caring front. He could have been A!

_Or maybe he was just being nice to you, Aria_, the tiny voice in my head whispered.

_But he was creepy and mysterious. All the evidence was piled against him! _I argued back.

_Wasn't Toby Cavanaugh the exact same way? _The voice responded in a reasonable tone.

I stopped running and leaned against the wall. Toby _was_ the exact same way. We had all thought that he was A and he turned out to be a genuinely sweet guy. Wasn't it possible that that was the case with Jason? I didn't know what to think anymore. Everything was just so complicated.

And now, to make matters worse, Jason was coming over for dinner Friday. What the hell had my mom been thinking? I thought we were just thanking him for his help with Mike, not asking him to start having meals with us. And my date with Ezra was supposed to be Friday. I couldn't just flake on him. But of course, I couldn't tell my mom that because of our oh-so-secretive relationship.

He would be furious if he found out I was ditching him for Jason. Well, technically I wasn't. It was more like being forced against my will to have dinner with him. Though I had to admit I was kind of excited for this dinner. It had been a while since I had a genuine conversation with Jason and I had liked how we were talking before Ian's funeral came up.

I decided the smartest choice would be to not tell Ezra that Jason was involved with this impromptu dinner. It would be better for both of us if I left out that little tidbit.

My thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ring of my cell phone. I pulled it out of my handbag and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Aria!" I heard Ezra's voice call through the phone.

My temporary forgetfulness of my anger at Ezra washed away as I remembered what happened with Jackie.

"What do you want Ezra?" I asked sharply.

Ezra sighed. "Aria, I really need to talk to you."

I jutted my chin out stubbornly even though he couldn't see me. "Well, I'm not really in the mood to talk."

"Please." Ezra pleaded. "I can't stand having you mad at me."

My anger waned slightly and I grudgingly told him I'd meet him, quickly though, because lunch would soon be over.

"Well that's not a problem." Ezra replied sounding relieved. "I'm right outside in the school parking lot."

Two minutes later, I was pushing the back doors of the school open and hurrying down the steps into the parking lot. I spotted Ezra's car at the back of the lot and started to rush over. I slowed my steps as I saw him get out of his car. _Let him wait_, I thought snidely. I knew I was being childish, but I just couldn't get past this Jackie thing yet.

"Hello, Ezra." I greeted coolly as I came to a stop in front of him. A stray strand of his curly brown hair hung in his eyes and I had to stop myself from pushing it out of his face.

Ezra smiled sadly at me and it pulled at my heart. _You are mad at him, _I reminded myself.

"Hey, Aria." He said as leaned against the hood of his car. "Thank you for meeting me."

I nodded tersely, crossing my arms over my chest. "Well, you're lucky I have time."

Ezra's smile brightened slightly. "I know you're mad at me but I'm actually meeting you at school for once. It's a start, isn't it?" He looked at me hopefully.

"Yeah." I replied dryly. "You're meeting me. At school. In an empty parking lot. While everyone's at lunch. What a step, Ezra."

Ezra's smile dropped into a wary expression. "Look, Aria. I'm really trying here. I want us to be public just as much as you do but I just don't know how well it will go over with your mom and dad if they knew we were together."

"But isn't that why you transferred to Hollis? So we could tell my parents about our relationship?" I countered, trying to sound indifferent but failing miserably.

"I know. I know. It's just been a lot harder than I realized it would be."

My blood turned to ice in my veins and I looked cautiously at Ezra. "What are you saying, Ezra? Are you—are you breaking up with me?"

Ezra's wary expression turned into one of astonishment. He grabbed me by the shoulders and brought his face close to mine. "Oh God, no. Of course not, Aria. I would never do that. I'm just trying to get you to understand why we're moving at such a slow pace."

The tension drained out of me and my shoulders slumped in relief. "Okay." I leaned my forehead against his and closed my eyes. "For a second there I actually thought you were breaking up with me."

Ezra let go of my shoulders and lifted my chin up so I could look into his eyes. "You can't get rid of me that easily." He grinned.

I wanted nothing more than to savor our moment but I had to address the issue. I forced myself to step back out of his reach. "Ezra, this doesn't excuse the fact that you were a total jerk yesterday."

Ezra's grin faded. "I know. I just didn't know what to do. I couldn't have Jackie know we were in a relationship."

"Is that because you weren't ready for us to go public yet or because you just didn't want Jackie to know we were dating?"

Ezra's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, maybe you still like Jackie and don't want me to get in the way of you two."

Ezra looked incredulous. "Aria, you know I don't like Jackie anymore. She's my past and you are my present. And hopefully, my future."

I ignored the fluttering in my heart and shrugged. "Well, with all the mixed signals you were giving us yesterday, I really didn't know who you liked."

Ezra ran his hand through his hair. "Trust me, Aria. I have no feelings whatsoever towards Jackie. She just appeared at my apartment two minutes before you came. I couldn't just kick her out."

"I know." I mumbled. "I just wish you would stop acting like I'm a student around her, as if it wouldn't even be a possibility that we _could_ date. She couldn't stop emphasizing my age the whole time."

Ezra shook his head and laughed. I narrowed my eyes at him. "What?" I demanded.

"It's just that, I can't believe you don't realize how much more mature you are than Jackie."

"Well, I don't really feel like it when she's using that patronizing tone with me." I grumbled.

"Aria." Ezra took a step toward me and reached out a hand to cup my cheek. "How long will it take you to realize I don't want anyone else but you?"

I leaned unintentionally into his hand. "Forever because there is always going to be potential girls your age who you can go hang out publicly with instead of being stuck with me eating Chinese food in your apartment."

Ezra's hand slid down to hook around my waist and he pulled me towards him. I had to look up to see his face. "Well, I'd rather have Chinese food with you in my apartment than be with anyone else out at a bar. And I'm going to prove it to you on our date Friday."

Oops. I laughed nervously. "Yeah. About that…" I trailed off.

Ezra looked at me cautiously as I stepped away from him again. "What?"

I looked down at the pavement, unable to meet his eyes. "I kind of can't go." I told him slowly.

Disappointment flashed in Ezra's eyes before suspicion swallowed it up. "Why?"

"Because I have to be at a dinner." With Jason.

"Dinner? Since when?"

"Since 15 minutes ago. My mom just decided we were going to have dinner with a family friend on Friday and as you know, I couldn't exactly tell her I had a date."

Ezra's suspicious look didn't waver. "A family friend?"

"Yep." I replied, not giving anything else away.

Before he could ask who it was, his cell phone rang. He held up a finger telling me to wait, before he answered his phone. "Hello?"

Surprise flitted across his face. "Oh, hi, Ella. How are you?"

Ella? As in my mom?

Ezra's expression was unreadable as he listened. He nodded a few times and I was dying to know what my mom was saying to him.

"Well, that is very nice of you to invite me. I would love to come."

Invite to….

"Okay…Okay…Should I bring anything?...Are you sure?...Okay, I'll see you then, Ella. Take care. Bye." Ezra hung up the phone and looked at me, amused.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Your mom just invited me to this dinner of yours Friday. Looks like we'll have our date after all."

"So, what are you guys wearing to the dance next Saturday?" Hannah asked as she rifled through a pile of 50% off skinny jeans in American Eagle.

It was Thursday night and Spencer, Hannah, Emily and I were out shopping at the mall.

Spencer groaned. "How can you even think about that with all of the homework assignments we are being bombarded with?"

Hannah snorted. "Spencer, not all of us are in the ultra-geeky classes."

Spencer shot Hannah a look. "Still, aren't you guys worried that maybe A will all of a sudden start texting us again?"

Emily looked over worriedly at Spencer from the bathing suit section. "Can we not talk about A? It's going to jinx us."

"You believe in that stuff, Em?" I asked skeptically.

Emily shrugged. "Anything is possible when it comes to A."

Hannah looked disgusted. "Why are you giving her so much power? She's only one person."

Spencer laughed without humor. "Are you saying you aren't afraid of A?"

"No." Hannah said, giving up on finding a perfect pair of jeans. "I just think that we're making her out to be worse than she actually is."

I grinned. "Looks like someone's getting a little cocky."

Hannah ignored my statement. "Ugh, there's nothing here. Let's shop somewhere else."

We left the store and headed right. "So, you guys didn't answer my question. What are you wearing to the dance?" Hannah asked.

Spencer looked thoughtful. "Toby likes orange so maybe I'll get an orange dress."

"I'll probably get a purple dress this year. I haven't worn the color in a while." Emily chimed in.

Hannah nodded her head in approval. "Good choice, Em. It'll look nice. Spencer on the other hand…." She trailed off, not bothering to hide her distaste.

Spencer looked defensive. "What? What's wrong with orange?"

"What's not wrong with orange?" Hannah mumbled.

Emily looked at me. "What about you, Aria?"

I hadn't thought about it yet. My mind had been occupied by…other things. "I don't know."

Spencer nudged me. "Oh, come on. You really don't have an idea?"

I shook my head.

"What color does Ezra like?" She asked, winking at me.

For some reason, I was annoyed.

"Why does it matter what Ezra likes?" I snapped.

Emily and Spencer exchanged startled glances but Hannah didn't seem to notice. "Aria's right, Spence. Not all of us need to wear dresses based off of our boyfriends' favorite color." She looked at Emily. "Or girlfriend."

I smiled at Hannah. "You know what?" Jason's green eyes flashed in my mind. "I'm going in a green dress this year." I told them smugly.

Hannah thought this over. "I'm a little hesitant to see you in green but you can probably make it work. Oh!" Hannah's eyes shifted to a storefront a couple feet down. "Is that a red mini dress? Yes please!" She hurried into Hot Topic before any of us could stop her.

Spencer, Emily and I followed her into the store and split up to look at different items. I brushed my fingers down a couple of t-shirts when something caught my eyes. Hanging up on the wall was a white and black checkered mini dress. It piqued my interest and I was tempted to ask someone to retrieve it for me so I could try it on. I didn't even need to bother.

"Can I help you with something?" A girl asked with blue and green extensions in her hair.

"Yeah." I said, pointing at the dress. "I was wondering if I could see that dress in a small."

"Sure," she replied before walking to the back of the store and out of sight.

I hadn't noticed Spencer behind me until she coughed. I jumped slightly and whirled around. "God, Spencer! You scared me!"

"Yeah, whatever." She said, waving her hand in the air. "I want to know what happened back there?"

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Spencer crossed her arms and practically glared at me. "I mean the whole, 'you cares what Ezra thinks,' thing. What was that?" Only Spencer would nag me about this. I couldn't help but think of how nosy she was. Could she not stick her nose into anyone else's business for one moment?

"It was nothing." I told her. "I just don't see how I need to dress according to how Ezra would like me to dress."

Spencer wasn't satisfied. "Are you and Ezra okay?"

"We're fine. A couple of problems, but nothing big." Why did she care?

Spencer's gaze sharpened. "What problems?"

Now I was starting to get irritated. "Why do you need to know?"

Spencer took a step toward me. "Because I just want to make sure you two are okay."

I clenched my hands into fists out of frustration. "Sometimes I feel like you are more invested in me and Ezra than I am."

Spencer's eyes narrowed. "Are you not invested in that relationship? Do you not like Ezra anymore?"

I threw my hands up in the air. "Of course I still love Ezra! Every relationship has their problems! But why do you care so much? What would be wrong if Ezra and I broke up?"

Spencer looked horrified by the prospect. "I just want to make sure you don't go running off into the wrong hands."

I raised an eyebrow. "Wrongs hands? What do you mean?"

"I mean people like Jason Dilaurentis."

My anger flared at her words and I had to stop myself from pulling her hair. "What do you have against Jason Dilaurentis?"

"Do you mean other than the fact that he totally can't be trusted because he's such a creep?"

I found myself offended by the statement. "There's nothing wrong with Jason! He's just a guy trying to move on from the death of his sister."

Spencer scoffed. "Yeah, right! He probably killed Allie, Aria!"

"And what about Toby?" I demanded.

Spencer calmed down in her confusion. "What about Toby?"

"Well, you thought Toby killed Allie before and now look at him. He's your boyfriend. I find it more than a little hypocritical that you can't trust Jason when Toby used to be in that same exact position."

Before Spencer could reply, the sales girl was back with my dress. I turned my back on Spencer. "Thank you." I said smiling and followed her back to a dressing room.

"Crap. This stupid zipper won't zip up." I was stuck in my cramped dressing room trying to get into the checkered dress. The only problem was that the zipper was stuck. It was just my luck because Hannah, Emily and Spencer had just left to go find a bathroom and told me they would be right back.

I tried yanking the zipper up one more time but to no avail. It just wouldn't budge. "Great. Now what?" My arms were starting to ache from having to reach behind my back and grab the zipper. I absently massaged my shoulders as I tried to think of a solution. I was sure the dress fit. It was just caught in the fabric. I just needed someone to get the zipper free.

"Hello!" I called out. "Um…sales girl? Are you there?" I winced. Sales girl? Smooth, Aria, smooth.

"Hello! Can you please help me with this dress?" I called a little louder. No reply. I stuck my head out of the dressing room door and looked around. There was no one in sight. If the music weren't blasting, I was sure that the sales girl would have been able to help me, wherever she was.

I heard a faint rustling as if someone was sifting through clothes on a rack. "Hello!" I called, praying it was the sales girl. "Hi, can you help me?"

I heard more rustling, footsteps and then the person stepped out in the open.

I gasped in surprise. "Jason!"

When Jason saw me, he immediately averted his eyes and an embarrassed expression crossed his face. "Um, hi, Aria. Uh, how…uh… are…you?" His voice sounded off and he cleared his throat.

Meanwhile, I slammed the door closed and was freaking out in the dressing room. Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God. What. The. Hell.

"Hi Jason." I squeaked. "Sorry about that. Just looking for the girl who works here."

I couldn't help but think of the dream I had of Jason, except this time, I actually had clothing on and Jason was just as embarrassed as I was.

"Uh, well, she left to go to the bathroom. She told me she would be right back. Uh…do you need…help?" He asked through the door.

I wanted to bang my head against the wall. Could this situation have been more awkward?

I was about to decline his offer but then I thought of Spencer and how she insulted Jason. My rebellious side flared and I stuck my chin out confidently.

"Could you? I don't want to…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"If you need help, I'll help you." Jason answered through the door, though his voice still sounded off.

I gripped the doorknob and slowly opened the door. I hesitantly stepped outside. As he appraised me, I couldn't help but feel naked. It didn't matter that my dress was on all the way. There was just something about a boy catching a girl in a dressing room that made everything seem more…provocative.

Jason cleared his throat again and stepped forward hesitantly. "Uh, what do you need help with?"

I turned around so he could see the zipper. "I can't get the zipper up. It's stuck." I was relieved to be turned away from him as I blushed. I knew he could see my bra. Why had I picked lacey today? Why? I was grateful he didn't say anything about it.

I heard his footsteps behind me as he closed the distance between us. I could feel his breath on my neck as his fingers pushed my hair aside. I held it there so it wouldn't get in the way. I hoped he couldn't see the goose bumps starting on my shoulders.

His fingers brushed against my bare back as he grabbed the zipper and pulled up. Again, it wouldn't budge and my blush darkened.

"I swear I fit in the dress," I told him uneasily. "The zipper is just caught."

I heard Jason laugh and I felt the motion through my hand. "Don't worry. I know. Alison always had this problem."

We were both quiet for a moment as Jason laid a hand on my shoulder and gripped the zipper with the other. He jerked the zipper up with one quick pull and it finally gave out, zipping up to the top. Was it my imagination or had Jason's hand lingered on my neck a bit longer than was necessary. I couldn't help but smile. His touch was so different from Ezra. It was so much more…delicate…and intimate, as if savoring the moment as if it may never happen again. As if touching something so precious to you, that if you handle it too hard, it just might break. I was surprised to find I liked it much better than Ezra's rougher touch.

Jason stepped back and I turned around to face him, praying my blush had faded. "Thanks." I mumbled. I held out my arms and walked in a circle. "How do I look?"

Jason's eyes traveled up and down my body and I was surprised to find that there was no desire there. I couldn't explain the look exactly, but it made my insides turn to jelly.

"You look," Jason whispered in a voice filled with an emotion I could not detect, "perfect."

I grinned and tried to keep my knees from shaking. "Thank you." I said, shyly.

Jason blinked and shook his head as if shaking himself from a trance. "Uh, well, I'll let you get dressed."

"Oh. Right." I hurried back into the dressing room and shut the door. I examined myself in the mirror and for a crazy second, I thought I looked…beautiful, stunning, radiant. And it was all because of Jason's comment.

I stepped out of the dressing room in my normal attire to find Jason waiting for me. He smiled when I stepped out.

"Hi." I said as I walked up to him. "Thanks again for helping me with the dress."

"Not a problem." Jason replied as we started to walk up to the front of the store. "You going to buy that?" He gestured towards my dress.

I nodded, smiling slightly to myself. "Yeah, I am." I looked up at him as I put my dress on the counter. "So, why were you here?"

Jason shrugged, leaning against the counter. "I was just looking at band tees."

The employee was back and she scanned the tag on my dress. "That will be $135 plus tax." She told me.

I winced at the price but handed her my credit card.

Jason whistled. "Ouch. That's quite the price."

I made a face. "Yep. I'm not going to buy anything else though. I promise."

Jason quirked an eyebrow. "You sure you won't get too tempted?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Yes. I am sure. I am not a clothes addict."

Jason laughed. "Sure." He held out the "u" in sure, making it obvious he didn't believe a word I said.

I slapped his arm. "It's true!" I insisted.

Jason held up his hands in defense. "Yep. Says the girl who wears a new outfit every day."

My mouth dropped open. "I do not!"

"Uh-huh. Yep. Sure."

I grabbed my dress bag from the counter and wacked him with it. "I really don't."

Jason pointed to my outfit as we started to walk out of the store. "When was the last time you wore that?"

I wracked my brain…and I couldn't remember. "Uh, last Sunday." I lied.

Jason looked at me with amusement. "You know I can tell when you're lying."

I rolled eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm just a bad liar."

Then suddenly, Jason brought his hand up to my face and wiped a stray hair out of my eyes. "Sorry," he said sheepishly when he saw my expression. He dropped his hand and looked away for a moment.

I surprised myself more than anyone when I whispered, "Don't be."

Jason looked at me in surprise. For a moment, we just stared at each other. Jason opened his mouth as if to say something, but the voice that spoke was a female.

"Aria, what's going on?" It was Spencer. And she looked pissed. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was tapping her foot impatiently. Emily and Hannah stood behind her with bewildered expressions on their faces.

I took a step back from Jason, putting distance in between us. "We were just talking." I said, hating how I felt like I had done something wrong. Well, it probably didn't help that Spencer looked like an angry mom. Jason was silent beside me, offering no help.

"Really." Spencer replied through clenched teeth. "How…cute."

I didn't look at Jason as he spoke. "We saw each other in Hot Topic," he jerked his thumb towards the store, "and just got to talking." Was I imagining the angry undercurrent in Jason's tone?

Spencer didn't spare Jason a glance. "Well, Aria, we have to go. See you, Jason." I hated how cold and final her voice sounded.

Emily and Hannah were a bit nicer and mumbled their good-byes in friendlier tones.

I didn't want to follow Spencer but it didn't seem I had a choice. I looked at Jason and smiled ruefully. "Well, it was really nice seeing you again, Jason. Talk to you later." I gave him a small wave as our group started to walk towards the exit.

"See you tomorrow night, Aria." Jason replied in a pleasant tone, almost as if trying to piss off Spencer more. I couldn't help but grin as Spencer stiffened in response.

**Ugh, I know. Ezria scenes. It's excruciating to write them but I want to make the story as realistic as possible which means putting some inevitable Ezria scenes in there =/ Sorry if some of you like Spencer since I kind of made her come off as a snob but I feel that is the way she acts every time Jason is involved. It really grates on my nerves. Anyway, please review! Anything you want to see? I would love some ideas. Anything you don't like? Please, write anything (just not any "Ezria is better blah blah blah). Hopefully, I'll update soon. Let's all hope we see some Jason action tomorrow in PLL!**


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